Bookbinder



Nov. 13, 1934. w OTTO 1,980,630

BOOKBINDER Filed 001:. 23, 1933 uvvelvr'oq: 2 017 W? OTTO,

1s Wee-W,

Patented Nov. 13, 1934 UNITED. STATES.

PATENT OFFICE This invention relates to devices used for holding loose leaves in a binder.

One of the objects of this invention is to make the closing of the binder simple and positive. Another object is to make the manufacture of the whole device as simple as possible.

Another object is to make the assembly and a handling of the several parts as simple as possible.

Other objects will appear from the following description and appended claims as well as from the accompanying drawing, in which Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a binder illustrating the relative positions of the parts made to operate according to this invention.

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary side elevation of a post.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary cross section through the assembled locking device on line 3-3 of 20 Fig. 4.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary top plan view of a looking device with the top plate removed.

Fig. 5 is a detail top plan view of a slightly modified form of shifter in a smaller scale.

Fig. 6 is a view showing a modified form of shifter element.

Locking devices for binders generally require the exact fitting or placing of the locking plate or top on the posts in order that the locking members may properly engage with the post-ends.

Several of the details of this invention are intended to serve to simplify the handling in opening, and, more particularly, in the closing and locking of the binder.

The posts are preferably made with a beveled head '7 with a squarely off-set shoulder 8 on the underside of the head, while the neck 9 of the post 10 may be of customary form.

The closing and locking device includes a topplate 11, provided with an indentation 12 for each post-head used in a binder, forming the stop for the locking device, to bring the head, and, particularly, the shoulder 8 into a proper position to be engaged and locked.

Each individual set of locking device, of which there may be any desired or required number in a binder, includes, besides the top plate 11, a bottom plate 13, a spring-member 14, and a shifter or operating member 15, as illustrated in Fig. 4.

Such a complete locking device is encased in a suitable manner, whether by cloth or paper, depending on the taste of the user or manufacturer, to swingably move with the cover of a binder in the manner indicated at 16 in Fig. 1.

To hold the spring-member 14 and operating member 15 in place, the bottom-plate 13 is merely punched so as to leave or form burr-edges 17 as more clearly illustrated in Fig. 5, a suflicient number of these burr-edges being provided to hold the spring-member and shifter or operatingmember against endwise shiftings as well as to serve to hold the spring-member suitably apart to easily slip over a post-end.

Fig. 6 illustrates, how any number of shifters or operating members 15a. can be connected by a common connecting bar or portion 18.

However, the preferred form provides one locking device on each of the two opposite ends of the flexible strip 16, as roughly indicated in Fig. 1.

When so placed in the opposite ends of the flexible strip on a binder, it is only necessary to press on the operating members 15 for spreading the spring-ends sufficiently to release the posts 10. The strip can then be folded against the cover and paper removed from the posts in the usual manner.

A cut-out 19 is provided in each end of the strip and in the ends of the top and bottom plates 11 and 13 so that the operating member can be pressed inwardly to a suitable'extent. This cutout, on the other hand, serves to protect the operating member against being inadvertently or accidently pressed in when the binder is placed on end.

The top-plate is held in place over the bottom- 1 plate, after the several locking devices have been inserted, by a mere clinching along the edges as indicated at 20 in Fig. 3.

In locking the flexible strip over the posts, the strip 16 is merely folded on the cover of the binder and then pressed over the posts, the indentures 12 serving to limit the downward movement of the flexible strip. There is no fitting or adjusting of the locking devices to engage with the neck 9 of the posts, as long as the apertures 21 in the bottom-plate 13 are made to slip over the post-ends in the manner illustrated in Fig. 3.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:-

1. In a binder, a locking mechanism comprising a spring member, an operating member, and a casing including a plate having indentations forming burred edges inwardly in the casing for holding the spring member and operating member against lateral movements within certain limits, the operating member having oppositely beveled front edges pointing towards the spring, and the spring having two separated ends disposed to slide along the beveled edges of the operating member.

2. In a binder, a locking device comprising a topand bottom plate, the bottom plate having against lateral'movements in a limited manner,

certain of the burred edges being disposed to maintain the spring-members in a separated or spread condition ready to slip over inserted posts,

others of the burred edges being disposed to serve as guides, and shifting and operating members in-v serted between the top and bottom plates having slots adapted to engage over said guides and mm held for limited movements.

3. In a binder, a locking mechanism comprising a spring member having portions parallel to one another and with separated ends, an operating member disposed to be forced between the separated ends for enlarging the space between the parallel portions for unlocking purposes, and a casing having means for holding and guiding the spring and operating member.

4. In a binder, a locking mechanism comprising a spring member having spaced locking portions and separated ends, an operating member disposed between the separated ends and designed to slide between the ends for enlarging the space between the locking portions.

5. In a binder, a locking mechanism comprising a spring member having spaced locking portions and separated ends, an operating member disposed between the separated ends and normally held in inoperative position by the spring and designed to be forced between the ends against the tension of the spring for enlarging the space between the locking portions and adapted to remove EDGAR W. OTTO. 

